Chapter 17
by Atira7
Summary: The Reckoning written from Derek's POV. Rated T for mild language. Temporarily on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Darkest Powers trilogy belongs to Kelley Armstrong. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: I want you all to know that when I got my first reviews I called three different people shrieking with excitement. I want to thank Punkrockdiva for being my first reviewer ever. I spent my lunch hour at work the next day scribbling on receipt paper so I could have something for you guys. I'll try to be quicker with the updates in future; I just got a job and the hours are hectic right now. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to review :)

This will have less chapters than the book, because in some places it just doesn't make sense to make a chapter split in Derek's POV where there is one in the book. Hence, this will be the first two chapters of the book all rolled into one for Derek :)

_Italicized _AND underlined means thoughts in a flashback

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Chapter 1

**Derek POV**

It seemed like we had been running for months, though in actuality it was only a few days. We had finally found somewhere to rest and let our guard down. Somewhere the Edison Group couldn't find us. So obviously I had passed out hard and wasn't moving for at least 10 hours right? Wrong.

I couldn't relax. I was still anxious, and I was going to have to Change soon; I felt feverish and irritable. I wasn't getting _any_ good sleep.

I sighed and rolled over, listening enviously to Simon's deep snores. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to let go of all this tenseness? _You don't want that_. Who was I kidding? I would do anything for Simon and my dad...my pack. Two people I would gladly, instinctively die to protect. It killed me not knowing where dad was. Now I only had Simon to look out for...and Chloe. Ever since that night at the bus station, I've slowly realized that my wolf considers her pack, too.

My mind went back to that playground. Back to Liam and Ramon...

_"It's okay," I breathed to her. "It's okay." I rubbed Chloe's shoulder, my heart pounding. How could I have let this happen? I should have smelled them before we came over here. How were we going to get out of this? They could hear any plan I tried to arrange and they were faster than her. Much faster._

_ "Sure," said Liam. "It'll be just fine. The Pack aren't complete monsters. This poor orphanied kid just screwed up. He'll never do it again. They'll understand. He's probably got a–" he broke off and looked at Ramon. "Fifty-fifty?"_

_ Ramon looked thoughtful, then nodded._

_ Liam looked back. "Fifty-fifty chance of surviving. And even if he doesn't, they'll make it quick. No chain saws for you."_

_ "Why are you telling us this?" Chloe asked. She had a point, although I wasn't complaining. I needed time to think. __Here's the problem. You have all the variables in front of you. Find the correct solution.__ If we ran, they would catch us. If they caught us...I couldn't fight both of them._

_ "Good question, cutie." I tensed. "Why not just grab him, tie him up, toss him in our truck, and deliver him to the wolves up in Syracuse? Because the Alpha isn't stupid. If we throw him a kid who's screaming he didn't do it, he might listen. See, there's only one way this can work. If your boyfriend comes along voluntarily and confesses."_

_ I snorted. "Yeah." Like that was all they wanted to do._

_ "You don't like that plan?"_

_ I looked at him. __You expect me to believe that?_

_ Liam sighed. "All right then. Option two it is. We kill you and have some fun with your girl."_

_ I froze. __No._

_ "I'll do the killing," Ramon was saying. "You can take the girl. She's a little young for me."_

_ Liam gave a lazy grin. "I like them young."_

_ He looked up Chloe and down and I tightened my grip on her shoulders. __No no no no__–_

_ "Leave her out of this," I snarled._

_ "Never." He bared his teeth at me. "I was almost hoping you'd say no. Sure, I'd love a scapegoat to feed the Pack. But a little cutie like that, who already knows who I am? That's..." He smiled. "Sweet."_

_ He moved his attention to Chloe and stepped forward. My arm shot around her, a growl ripping up my throat. Liam reached towards her and I tensed, heart racing wildly. __He won't TOUCH __her. I won't let him. I can't let him. She's MINE._

_ He pulled back and I eased slightly, watching him. He reached out again and I reacted instantly. Liam started to laugh, testing me to see if I would do it again. I couldn't help it. I did. He kept at it until Ramon started laughing, too._

_ "Check this out," Liam mused. "I think the pup's got himself a mate. Isn't that the cutest thing?" He leaned towards me, lowering his voice. "It won't work out. It never does. Why don't you just give her to me now, let me help you get over it. Painful, but quick. It's the best way."_

_ I shifted Chloe behind me, trying desperately to figure out what to do. __Think, think.__ My heart hammered in my chest._

_ They both howled with laughter._

_ "I think he's saying no," Ramon said._

_ "Leave her out of this," I growled._

_ Liam shook his head, shifting his eyes back to Chloe. "How can I do that? Look at her. So tiny and cute, big blue eyes all wide and scared." He leered toward her. "Irresistible." He lunged forward abruptly and I jumped to meet him but was too slow. I watched in agony as Chloe screamed, Ramon's laughter echoing in the background..._

I woke up abruptly, tangled in my sheets. _It was only a dream_. I lay there, getting my breathing back under control. Thankfully we had gotten away that night without any serious harm being done.

_ God this fever..._I couldn't think straight. I drifted on the edge of consciousness. Was that a creak in the hallway? Or was I dreaming again?

"They'd like to talk to you, too."

Where did that come from? It sounded like...Chloe. But she wasn't talking to me or Simon, because she would have knocked on the door. She was right outside though. _A ghost._ Maybe she had walked out in the hall so she wouldn't wake Tori up. I thought I heard her walk away.

_ Huh._

I scratched absently at my arm. I hoped that we would be able to stay here. Chloe and Simon really needed to stop moving for awhile. Regroup. I had a nagging feeling that I couldn't shake that we weren't as safe here as we thought. Maybe I was just used to moving. I felt...cooped up. Being on the run shouldn't be better than being safe and sound, but at least out there I could expect the unexpected. Nothing was hiding what it was. Here we had to consider that maybe we couldn't trust what we saw, maybe the safety was a lie.

This house wasn't helping. Old and creepy, most of it hadn't seen human life in years. Our hallway was on the second floor with a staircase towards the back of the house and another towards the front.

The front stairs led downstairs to the main part of the house, which had an odd design that made little sense. Lots of rooms couldn't be accessed without going through another room, and everything seemed like it had been thrown together. The kitchen was situated at the back of the house with a door opening into the backyard. The yard was fenced in by trees––the edge of a large forest.

Andrew had mentioned that the back stairs led up to an attic. I wondered if there was any information about the house up there. Maybe we could figure out why this place was being used as a safehouse for us. _This wasn't where we used to go visit Andrew with dad––_

I was jolted further awake as someone pounded on a door upstairs. I crept to the door an opened it, sniffing to see where Chloe had gone. Her trail led toward the back staircase. There was a crash above me and I sprinted up the stairs to a door on the landing, across from the one I assumed led to the attic.

I quickly unlocked it and flung it open to see Chloe clutching a rusty railing on the rooftop.

"Chloe!" I shouted, striding towards her. She trembled slightly.

"Don't move."

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A/N: Not really a cliffhanger since we all know what's going to happen, but a good stopping point for this chapter. I'm not going to make you guys wait though, I'm getting started on the next one now. Also, I've been brainstorming titles. Does "In His Eyes" sound good to you guys? I was worried it was too cheesy but it fits, too. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: The Darkest Powers trilogy belongs to Kelley Armstrong. The dialogue and a few other parts of this are taken directly from the book The Reckoning. No copyright infringement intended.

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Chapter 17

**Derek's POV**

I fidgeted, trying and failing to focus on the page in front of me. I scowled and glanced out the window at the setting sun. _Where were they?_

Simon and Chloe had been gone since dinner and Simon had promised they'd be back before dark. _They probably just lost track of time walking home...That_ thought made me itch to do...something. I stopped myself from following that thought process farther, scowling again. So what if they had lost track of time? It wasn't any of my business. I glared once more at the book in my hands, then gave up and set it on the table beside me. I stood and strode towards the back door with intentions to track them into the forest and bring them home. _Having a great time is no excuse for compromising their safety._ As I pushed the door open I saw Chloe trudging up the lawn towards me.

"No," she whispered. "Not now, just go back inside..." I realized she was talking about me and felt a flash of irritation. Simon was nowhere in sight. I kept walking.

She glanced around and I abruptly saw that she may not know where Simon was either.

"Where's Simon?" I asked, the words snapping with my temper.

She seemed to deflate slightly and pointed behind her into the woods. So much for her not knowing his whereabouts. But that indicated that he had purposefully gone in another direction.

"He _left_ you? Out here? At night?" I couldn't believe he'd do that, he cared for her too much. I felt a twinge at this thought but ignored it.

"He dropped something," she said quietly, attempting to walk around me. "He isn't far."

_Bullshit_. I sidestepped, cutting her off. I faintly smelled salt and inhaled deeper, trying to place it. Suddenly I noticed her eyes were slightly reddened.

"You're crying?" I asked, confused.

"No, I––" she looked quickly down and away. "Just dust. From the path. Simon's that way," she said, gesturing weakly once more. She moved to step around me again, but I ducked down trying to catch her gaze. She stubbornly kept her face averted. I reached out and gently grabbed her chin to tilt her face up. She flinched back from my touch and I heard her heart stutter. _What happened?_ I wondered. She couldn't be afraid of me still..._of course she could_. My heart sank.

"You _have_ been crying," I said, my voice softening. What could have happened to make her upset? What could Simon have done? _Simon._ Anger lashed through me. "What did Simon––?" I broke off, flushing as I realized the reaction I had just instinctively had. Simon probably hadn't made her cry, and even if he had, I shouldn't be getting so worked up about it. "What happened?" I asked, more calmly.

"Nothing. It just didn't work out," she replied.

"Didn't work out?" How could it have not worked out? They were obviously good for each other. What could have gone wrong? "Why?"

"Talk to Simon."

"I'm talking to _you_. What'd you do to him?" She tensed defensively. Well, I doubted it was something he did. He was good with girls, and she had obviously hurt him if he had gone out by himself.

"I screwed up. Again. You're shocked, I'm sure. Now, let me go inside––" I stepped in front of her again, ignoring her tone.

"What'd you do, Chloe?"

She sidestepped. I copied her.

"You like him, don't you?" I didn't see what the problem was.

"Yes, I like him. Just not..." she trailed off.

"Not what?"

"Talk to Simon," she hedged. "He's the one who thinks..."

"Thinks what?"

Step. Block.

"Thinks what?" I persisted.

"That there's someone else," she finally blurted out. She took a shaky breath. "He thinks there's someone else."

"Who?" Who else could there possibly be? She hadn't had time to meet any boys since Lyle House, only Simon and myself.

She hesitated and I felt a jolt, realizing what that must mean. There was no way. She shouldn't like me. The idea couldn't possibly have crossed her mind. And _Simon_ was the one to suggest this? "Me?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Simon said he thinks you and I are––"

"No, not that. He knows we aren't––"

I cut her off. "Good. So what _does_ he think?"

"That I like you." It seemed as though she hadn't quite meant to say that, even though it was the correct answer. I stared at her in shock, not knowing what to say.

"I don't," she said quickly. "I _don't_," she emphasized, catching a look at my face.

"You'd better not," I said, finding my voice. My heart was thudding, but thankfully she couldn't hear that. I scowled at her again, leaning back slightly. "You'd better not, Chloe, because Simon likes you."

"I know," she answered in a small voice.

"Simon's had girls calling him every day since he was twelve. They follow him at school. They even talk to me, trying to get to him. Cute girls. Popular girls."

"So I should be thrilled that a guy like him even _looked_ my way, right?" she accused.

I backtracked. "Course not. I didn't mean––"

"Oh, I know what you meant. I should count my blessings that I happened to be around when his choices were, well, none, really, because otherwise I'd never have stood a chance."

She was misunderstanding. Where had this gone wrong? "That's not–– I never said––"

"Whatever."

She spun and started back the way she had come. I darted in front of her.

"Simon likes you, Chloe. Yeah, he's dated a lot of girls. But he _really_ likes you, and I thought you liked him back."

"I do. Just not...not like that, I guess."

"Then you shouldn't have let him think it _was_ like that." I thought of all the times I had seen them together, her blushing and smiling to Simon's advances. I felt another twist of pain.

"You think I led him on? For what? Kicks? I don't have enough excitement in my life, so maybe I'll tease a nice guy, get his hopes up, then laugh and skip away? How could I know how I felt until we went out and––?" she cut off her rant abruptly. She turned and set off along the edge of the woods.

"Where are you going?" I demanded. Surely she didn't think she could just stroll out into the woods alone?

"You won't let me into the house. I'm sure Simon doesn't want me around him either. So it seems like I'm going to take a moonlight stroll in the forest."

"Oh, no, you're not." I blocked her path. "You can't go wandering around alone at night. It's not safe."

She glared up at me. Then her anger wavered, being replaced by something else. She turned towards the trees and continued walking. "I'll be careful. No dead will rise tonight. Go back inside, Derek."

Did she think that was why I was worried? Admittedly, I didn't want her to raise anything, but I was far more concerned with her safety than that of anything she could raise. "You think that's all I'm worried about? The Edison Group––"

"Could be camped out there right now, waiting for us to venture into the deep, dark woods. If you believed that, you'd never have let Simon go out."

I growled under my breath. "I didn't like it. But he promised you'd be back before dark, which is why I was at the door, getting ready to come find you two." I snatched at her arm before remembering what had happened back at Lyle House, and released her for her sleeve instead. "Just––" I broke off, whipping my head around. I could have sworn I just smelled...

"Don't pull that."

"Pull what?" I asked distractedly.

"Pretending you smell something out there. Someone."

"No, I thought––" I breathed deeply again, trying to place the scent. I shook my head. "Nothing, I guess. Just––" I rubbed the back of my neck, wincing. I was going to need to Change soon. It was making me tense. I needed to calm down.

I let go of her sleeve. "Fine, take a walk."

She set off across the yard and I followed silently a few paces behind her. She turned and saw me following. She sighed. "Derek..."

"I need some fresh air. Go on." I wasn't about to let her go out on her own, but I could stay behind her if she'd rather pretend I wasn't there.

She continued for another twenty feet and then turned and glared up at me. I looked back at her.

"Fine. I'll go in the house. You can track down Simon before the Edison Group snatches him."

I followed her to the back door and watched her go inside before I turned to go find Simon.


End file.
